Tea and Sweets
by Zarosguth
Summary: The daughter of the owner of a café that doubles as a bakery, visits a nice little teahouse one day and almost immediately hits it off with the teahouse's young proprietress. Three-shot. ::AU & NanoFate:: Now with 100% more Omake!
1. A Cup of Tea

_**Foreword:  
**_Hello there, or 'Nice to meet you,' in case we haven't met before.

My name is Zarosguth and I am happy you took an interest in this story. I hope you'll enjoy.

I intend for this story to be a three-shot, AU, NanoFate with a tea theme.

Why the tea theme? I don't know; I don't even drink tea myself. I drink a lot of ice tea. Though, it's more like tea-flavoured lemonade. I don't know, I just really wanted to do a tea theme.

Story is un-beta-ed. Just a heads-up. Should you spot any glaring mistakes, just tell me in a review or PM and I'll see to it that they'll be fixed.

Note regarding 'Bound by Regret': I'm a bit stuck on where I want that story to go right now so it might be a bit before I get around to finishing the next chapter for that. Thank you for your patience.

I will upload the second part next week, and the final part the week after that. (If everything goes well that is, but I feel confident enough that it will.)

That's really all I have to say, so I'll see you in the afterword I suppose. Enjoy!

_**Disclaimer:  
**_I do not claim ownership of the Mahou Shoujo Lyrical Nanoha series or franchise. This is a non-profit fan-written story written exclusively for entertainment purposes.

**{]****-~*****(X)*****~-****[}**

_I don't know what compelled me to take a look inside, but when I did, I was greeted by the soft, silvery chime of a small bell that hung above the door._

"_Ah, Welcome!" I was greeted by an equally soft and melodic voice and for a moment it felt like my heart skipped a beat._

_The owner of the voice was an absolutely stunning and tall woman with long blonde hair that reached all the way down to below her waist. Near the end her golden tresses were bound together with a single black ribbon._

_Then I saw that gentle and kind face right before my violet eyes locked with the most beautiful shade of burgundy red I'd ever seen in my life. I found myself lost in those pools of red that reminded me of fine wine._

_Her skin was a creamy white and looked completely free of blemishes. I felt the strong urge to touch it, just to verify if it were just as smooth as it looked._

_She wore what I assumed to be the uniform for her work here in this teahouse; she was dressed in a white shirt which she wore under a black, open blazer with golden-yellow accents. A matching black miniskirt and dark grey stockings as well as a pair of black high-heeled boots completed her outfit. It looked classy, business and casual all at the same time._

_Her predominately black clothing seemed to accentuate her golden-blonde hair which, like her skin, looked soft and smooth to the touch._

_I had no other words to describe this woman other than 'beautiful'._

* * *

***~-{ Tea and Sweets }-~*  
*~-{ Written by Zarosguth }-~***  
***~-{ ****Chapter #1: A Cup of Tea**** }-~***

* * *

"Would you like a cup of tea miss? This _is_ a teahouse after all." The blonde chuckled and Nanoha blinked a few times. Realizing she'd been staring, a faint blush spread out along her cheeks.

"Nyahaha…" Nanoha laughed nervously in embarrassment, sticking a strands of auburn hair that had escaped her side-ponytail behind her ear. She quickly walked up to the bar counter. The silvery chime from the bell was heard again as the door fell closed behind her, stopping the cool, early spring air from coming inside. Violet eyes looked at the menu that stood on the countertop. Quickly glancing over her choices she decided to order a simple green tea.

The blonde behind the counter smiled as she took the order, motioning towards one of the nearby tables for Nanoha to sit at. Nanoha took off her blue coat and hung it over the back of her chair before sitting down. She started looking around the teahouse. It was a very clean and tidy place, yet still had a homey and relaxed feel to it. On every table stood a vase with a pair of white lilies in each of them. Large floor-to-ceiling windows next to the door allowed natural light to illuminate the teahouse in its entirety.

The woman that worked here stood behind some sort of bar where she stood brewing the tea. A small doorway behind the counter looked like it led to a kitchen. Nanoha's eyes were now fixated on the blonde. Nanoha took in every move she made. There was something about the way that blonde hair flowed despite being tied with a ribbon that mesmerized the violet-eyed girl.

As the blonde finished preparing the tea she turned around. Nanoha instantly broke her eyes away from the beautiful woman before her to look at the lilies in the vase on her table with great interest.

"Here you go Miss." The gorgeous blonde spoke in the same soft and gentle tone she'd spoken in before as she set a cup of tea on a saucer on Nanoha's table.

"Thank you, um…"

"Fate Testarossa, proud owner of the Alicia 'T'-House." The blonde introduced herself with a warm smile.

"Nanoha Takamachi." Nanoha introduced herself as well as she took the cup of tea from the saucer and took a sip.

"Hmmm… this is really good." She said before quickly taking another sip.

"I am glad to hear that," Fate smiled gently, "I try to make sure I only use the finest leaves I can find."

Nanoha nodded in response and Fate walked back to stand behind the counter where she started preparing another cup of tea.

While she did so, Nanoha once again observed her hostess. She noticed the blonde worked quick and efficiently; she didn't seem to make any more movements than necessary. At the same time her movements looked elegant and refined in Nanoha's eyes. The brunette felt her face become warm again as she realized just how intently she was watching the blonde work.

Nanoha closed her eyes and took another sip from her tea, savouring the taste and warmth it brought her.

She was so immersed in the delicious tea she jumped slightly when she heard another cup being placed down on her table. She opened her eyes to find burgundy looking at her with mild amusement as Fate sat down opposite her with a cup of tea of her own. _'Fate'? Why did I think of her as 'Fate'? It's not like I'm on a first name basis with her!_

"You're right."

Nanoha was pulled out of her thoughts by the blonde's gentle voice.

"W-what?" she asked, a slight hint of panic to her voice.

"The tea; it's very good. I got a good deal on those _Camellia sinensis_ leaves." The red-eyed woman elaborated.

"_What_ kind of leaves?" Nanoha quirked an eyebrow.

"_Camellia sinensis_, green tea is made from the leaves of that particular plant." Fate explained with a smile. "Actually, so are most black teas. The difference lies in the preparation of the leaves; leaves for black tea undergo a longer period of oxidation."

"You sure know a lot about tea." Nanoha complimented as she took another sip.

"Oh no, not really. But, I _did_ always dream of opening my own teahouse one day…" Fate's voice trailed off and for a moment her smile turned melancholic, something that didn't go unnoticed by Nanoha.

"Is something the matter?" the brunette asked with genuine concern.

Fate chuckled before shaking her head. "No, well yes I suppose…"

"It's okay, you can tell me." Nanoha urged gently; she hated the sadness that was currently present in the blonde's wine-red eyes and she wanted nothing more than to help so the blonde could look happy again.

Fate took a deep breath as she seemed to mentally prepare herself, unsure of whether or not she could trust this total stranger. Yet, for some reason, she felt like she could. "It's just… it wasn't just _my_ dream to open a teahouse. It was a dream that I shared with my sister, Alicia. She died a few years ago. I pretty much opened this teahouse in her memory."

"So that's where it got its name from." Nanoha mused.

"Yes, my mother helped me with the initial financial dealings. She's a rather famous brain surgeon." Fate explained with a far-off look in her eyes before taking another sip of her own tea.

Nanoha took a sip of tea as well as she eyed the woman sitting opposite her. It was clear this woman had loved her sister very much. Nanoha couldn't help but think of her own sister, Miyuki, and how much she'd miss her if anything ever were to happen to her.

"We were both heavily affected by the loss of Alicia," Fate continued, "Mother was devastated, but not as much as I was. I suppose the loss of a family member is especially painful if it's your sibling, your older twin."

"It sounds like you loved her very much. I'm sure she'd be happy you continued trying to fulfil your dreams." Nanoha offered with a small smile.

"Thank you, I hope so." Fate said as she was still staring off at the distance. After a few seconds of silence she shook her head and turned to the brunette, the sadness in her eyes had diminished though it was still clearly present. "So how about you? Any siblings?" she asked.

Nanoha smiled, glad to see the blonde cheering up a little. "Yes, I have an older brother, Kyouya, and an older sister, Miyuki." She answered.

"Really? And what do they do?"

"My brother took over running our family's dojo from my father back when I was about nine or ten. As for my sister, she works in our parents' café."

"What about you?" Fate asked curiously.

"I also help out at my parents' café. I help Mom with the baking. Our cakes are very popular; Mom is great at baking as well as cooking." Nanoha told her.

"I'll have to come by sometime then, to see if you're any good help." Fate said with a teasing wink.

Nanoha puffed up her chest and placed her hands on her hips. "Oh, you better believe I am good!" she said with exaggerated pride.

After a moment of silence both women burst out in laughter. The brunette's 'Nyahaha' sound easily overtaking the blonde's soft chuckle.

"I love your laugh." Nanoha accidently blurted out once their laughter started to die down. She instantly slapped her hand in front of her mouth. Fate stared back at her with an incredulous look on her face, though her red eyes held clear amusement.

The silvery chime of the bell above the door to the teahouse sounded and caught the attention of the two women drinking tea. Nanoha turned to see an older woman with long, charcoal grey hair step inside, clutching her coat to shield against the outside cold.

Fate stood up and greeted the older woman with a smile. "Hello Mother, you're early."

"Hello dear," the grey-haired woman greeted back while looking around the teahouse. "Slow day today?"

"It's always slow this time of day Mother. Most people are at work or at school at this time. Speaking of which, shouldn't you be at work?" Fate inquired.

"My assistant's been worried about me again so she told me to 'buzz off'," the charcoal-haired woman used air quotes to emphasize those being her assistant's exact words, "while she'd take care of the paperwork. I didn't have any surgeries scheduled for today anyway." Her mother explained with an amused smile.

Fate smiled at this. "Glad to hear Linith still looks after you, since you seem so adamant about not doing so yourself."

The older woman laughed. "True, Linith is the best assistant I could've wished for."

"Oh, let me introduce you," Fate said, changing the subject and turning her attention to Nanoha whom had been quietly observing the interactions between mother and daughter. "Mother, this is Nanoha Takamachi. Ms Takamachi, this is my mother, Precia Testarossa."

"Just call me Precia," Precia said as she extended her hand which Nanoha gracefully took.

"Nanoha, pleased to meet you." Nanoha shook the older woman's hand, taking note of older woman's strong grip.

It was then that Nanoha caught sight of the clock hanging on the wall behind the counter. "Is it that late already? I had promised Mom I'd help her prepare for the late afternoon shift!"

After a quick payment for the tea, an equally quick exchange of goodbyes as well as a promise from Nanoha to visit again sometime, the brunette left, leaving mother and daughter alone in the teahouse.

**{]****-~*****(****X**)***~-****[}**

"She seems like a nice person." Precia spoke a brief moment after Nanoha had left.

"Mhm…" Fate hummed in agreement as she started tidying up the teacups she and Nanoha had used.

"The two of you would be very cute together." Precia continued with a slightly mischievous smile, causing Fate to stop dead in her tracks.

"Mother!" she yelled in shock.

"What?" Precia asked with a knowing smirk. "Don't tell me you didn't notice what a gorgeous young woman she is."

Fate let out a long sigh as she continued clearing the teacups, placing them in the dishwasher in the kitchen behind the counter, her mother following her there. "Sometimes I regret coming out to you about my sexuality…" _Though I won't deny she's very pretty and easy to talk to._ She added mentally. No way she would say that out loud though.

"Would you rather have me try coupling you with some fine young man?" Precia mockingly raised an eyebrow as her smirk only seemed to grow wider.

"I'd rather you didn't try coupling me with anyone!" Fate replied with a glare, only causing her mother to laugh heartily.

**{]****-~*****(X)*****~-****[}**

"Sorry I'm late!" the youngest Takamachi called out as soon as she entered her parents' café, the Midori-ya.

"No problem dear." Momoko Takamachi greeted her youngest from the café's kitchen with a gentle smile. Nanoha joined her mother in the kitchen after quickly changing into more appropriate clothing.

As they were baking a wide assortment of cakes and other pastries in preparation of the late afternoon shift, Momoko couldn't help but notice the perpetual smile on her daughter's face.

"You look happy, did something good happen?" The older woman, who resembled an older version of Nanoha herself, asked while trying not to sound too excited in case she misread her daughter's behaviour.

"Hm?" Nanoha snapped out of her daze as she turned her attention to her mother. "Oh no, no, nothing, it's nothing." The younger brunette turned back to the dough she was kneading and tried to act like everything was fine and she was just very focused on her work.

Momoko had to stifle a giggle; it was obvious _something_ had happened today but she decided not to pressure her daughter into talking if she didn't want to; she was sure Nanoha would open up to her eventually.

The late afternoon shift came and went.

That evening, after the last few customers had left and Momoko had closed the café she found her daughter in the café's kitchen waiting for her.

"Mom?" the older Takamachi found her youngest fiddling nervously with the hem of her shirt.

"Yes dear?" she said in her most gentle, motherly voice.

"D-do you know about…" Nanoha trailed off as she was wondering _why_ she was even going to ask what she was going to ask.

"About what? Go ahead honey." Momoko smiled reassuringly.

"Do y-you know about sweets that would… go well with tea?" Nanoha had hardly asked this before she covered her face with her hands, she was blushing so hard.

Momoko looked thoughtful for a moment. "Well, usually scones go really well with almost any kind of tea."

"W-would you happen to know a, a recipe?" the younger Takamachi asked carefully, mentally berating herself for sounding like a shy and nervous school girl.

Momoko flashed her daughter a smile. "Of course." She answered before going around the kitchen grabbing the necessary ingredients. She didn't even bother asking why Nanoha wanted to know, something her daughter was ever so grateful for.

Mainly because the younger brunette really wasn't sure herself.

* * *

***~-{ End of Chapter }-~***

* * *

Please leave me a review telling me what you think; I love getting feedback and I don't mind people being critical. In fact, I welcome it!

***~-{ ****May we meet again, fare thee well!**** }-~***


	2. Goes Great With Tea

_**Disclaimer:  
**_I do not claim ownership of the Mahou Shoujo Lyrical Nanoha series or franchise. This is a non-profit fan-written story written exclusively for entertainment purposes.

**{]****-~*****(X)*****~-****[}**

_'Closed'. That's what the sign on the door said. Large red curtains covered the windows to prevent people from looking inside the building._

_I shouldn't have been surprised; it was early morning after all. I wasn't sure why I came here this early. For some reason, I really just wanted to see Fate again. Ever since the day before I couldn't get her out of my mind. Those long golden locks, those deep red eyes, that soft and melodic voice._

"_Good morning."_

_The voice I had just been thinking about startled me and pulled me out of my thoughts. I swiftly swung around in response to come face to face with the blonde that had been occupying my thoughts since the day before. Her face was adorned by a slightly perplexed but mostly amused smile. She must've thought me to be such a weirdo; being here, early like this._

"_Fate!" I yelled in surprise._

"_Oh, since when are we on a first-name basis?" she placed her hands in her hips and shot me a questioning gaze._

_I reacted by swinging my arms around frantically. "Uh… I… um… sorry?" I stammered; I felt like I could just sink into the ground I was so embarrassed._

_That's when the questioning look on her face slowly shifted into a cocky grin._

_My eyes grew wide for a second. Then I shut them tight, closing my hands in similarly tight fists. "I… you… _you_!" I nearly hissed. I couldn't believe it; Blondie here was teasing me._

"_I…?" she raised her eyebrows expectantly, her smirk only growing bigger._

"_You tease!" I yelled at her, more embarrassed than really angry._

_That was when the stunning blonde completely broke down in giggles and I was instantly reminded of how much I loved that sound; it truly sounded magical and there was no way I could stay mad at her. Simultaneously I remembered what I had blurted out to her the day before: about my loving her laugh and I once again became embarrassed. "I'm sorry," she chuckled, using a slender finger to wipe a tear from those burgundy eyes of hers. "but that reaction was just too cute, I couldn't help myself."_

* * *

***~-{ Tea and Sweets }-~*  
*~-{ Written by Zarosguth }-~***  
***~-{ ****Chapter #2: Goes Great With Tea**** }-~***

* * *

Nanoha froze; did that blonde beauty just say she was cute? Her ears instantly felt warm as she felt the them turn red. _She just said I was cute…_

Fate patiently eyed the woman in front of her, she was more than a little surprised when she found the girl she'd met yesterday standing here in front of her teahouse before it had even opened. She also remembered the conversation she'd had with her mother. She couldn't deny it; the woman with the side-ponytail standing here before her was very pretty and easy to talk to. That much she'd learned yesterday; Fate had never been very keen on talking about Alicia with anyone, not even Mother. Yet, talking with Nanoha about her late twin sister had come so easy, so natural. And now? Now Fate couldn't help but notice how extremely cute the brunette looked when embarrassed.

"Um…?"

Fate snapped out of her reverie at the sound of Nanoha's voice. She looked at the auburn-haired woman and saw the question marks written all over her face. "Yes?" she asked quickly and with a little more enthusiasm than she might've liked.

"Uh… I…" Nanoha stood there fidgeting. Holding the plastic bag she'd brought with her tightly in her hand. "I brought you this!" she all but shouted as she held the bag in Fate's direction.

The golden blonde carefully took the offered bag and with equal care dared a glance inside.

"Oh thank you. How sweet of you." She said as she turned to Nanoha, flashing the brunette her most dazzling smile. For a moment Nanoha felt like she'd go blind staring into that megawatt smile.

"Well, you did say you wanted to know whether I was any good at baking." She offered, pressing her fingers together while averting her eyes.

The red-eyed blonde laughed at this; "Well, I can't say I'm not impressed that you made these yourself. Now, let's see if they're as good as they look huh?"

Fate walked past Nanoha and pulled a small key out of her blazer pocket. She proceeded to open the door and hold it open.

Nanoha quickly went through the door, displaying a bit more eagerness than she wanted to.

"I don't officially open for another hour." Fate said as she pushed the teahouse door closed, letting the bell's silvery chime reverberate through the empty space. "But since you made the effort of making these," she held up the plastic bag containing the scones Nanoha had made the night before, "it would only be appropriate of me to offer you a cup of tea." She smiled gently as she placed the plastic bag on the countertop.

Nanoha nodded while she took in the teahouse as it looked now. It felt very different from the day before. The chairs were placed upside-down on top of the tables while the vases with lilies were nowhere in sight. The space itself was fairly dark due to the curtains still being closed.

Fate lifted the chairs off of one of the tables and set them down. In doing so, she caught Nanoha's attention and motioned for the brunette to sit down.

As soon as Nanoha was seated Fate asked her what tea she'd like to have.

"Uh… surprise me?" Not well-versed in tea beyond liking to drink it Nanoha decided she'd trust Fate to pick something good.

Fate smirked and violet eyes caught a little sparkle in the blonde's eyes.

"Challenge accepted!" Fate chirped as she set off to the kitchen.

"Uh, Fate?" Nanoha stopped Fate as she stood up from her chair. Fate turned around and looked at Nanoha expectantly. As soon as she had the blonde's undivided attention Nanoha started feeling a bit shy; she felt like those burgundy eyes could swallow her whole and to be perfectly honest, she wouldn't mind one bit.

"Would you… like to watch?" Fate guessed, sensing what she interpreted to be Nanoha's unease. As much as she liked seeing that cute blush on the brunette's face, she didn't want Nanoha to be uncomfortable around her. Quite the opposite in fact.

Nanoha's smile told Fate she guessed correctly. "Yes, I'm just really curious." Nanoha smiled.

Seeing Nanoha's smile Fate couldn't do anything but smile back. Making a hand motion towards the kitchen entrance Fate said "Well, the kitchen's right through here."

Following after the blonde, Nanoha set foot in the Alicia 'T'-House's kitchen.

**{]****-~*****(X)*****~-****[}**

And what a kitchen it was! Nanoha had barely set foot inside or her mouth fell open and it felt like her jaw had hit the ground.

Looking around Nanoha noted that this kitchen seemed to have everything needed to support a full-blown professional bakery. In addition, there was a beautiful looking stove that had actual gas burners rather than those electric things most people used these days.

Fate grabbed a ceramic teapot from a cupboard and filled it from the tap before placing it on the stove which she proceeded to turn on to let the water boil. She then turned to the brunette whom was still looking around like a little kid in a candy store.

Fate chuckled softly at the cute way by which Nanoha was looking around. "You like it?"

"'Like it'? it's amazing! Do you really need all of this just to make tea?" Nanoha nearly gushed over how amazing the kitchen was.

"Admittedly, no." The blonde started explaining. "It's just… back when I shared this dream with Alicia…" she took a deep breath, "she said she would want to make sweets that people could then enjoy with the tea. I sort of kept that idea in the back of my head even though I'm absolutely horrible at anything related to preparing food. The only thing I'm any good at is preparing tea."

"Oh come on, it can't be that bad!" Nanoha gave Fate a friendly tap on the arm.

Fate chuckled. "Oh but it is," she countered. "I once started a fire while boiling water in an attempt to cook potatoes."

Nanoha crossed her arms defiantly. "Well, with a gas stove like that-"

"It was my mother's electric stove; so no open fire." That line of thinking was quickly shot down.

"Uh… well if you pour water on a fire in a pot or-"

"I know where you're going with this, but this wasn't a case of a boil over; I tried boiling water, not oil or something flammable and I was smart enough to throw a lid on the pot. Not try and douse the fire with water." The blonde smiled embarrassedly.

Nanoha was silent for a few seconds. She tried a few times to say something but nothing came to mind until she just wanted to know if she understood what the red-eyed blonde tried to say. "You mean you set… _water_… on _fire_…?" she asked incredulously.

The blonde hummed in confirmation before she broke down in laughter. "Alicia kept insisting I had to be some sort of miracle worker or something. All I know is that since that moment I haven't dared cooking anything ever again."

The two women fell silent. One trying to figure out how one could set water on fire: _Is that even physically possible? _while the other was simply waiting for the water for the tea to boil.

After a few moments Nanoha spoke up again. "Aren't you afraid you'll set the tea water of fire then?"

Fate couldn't help but chuckle. "You'd think that wouldn't you? But no and I really couldn't tell you why. Preparing tea… I don't know. Maybe it's because I feel like I would never be able to properly cook anything for anyone, yet I want people to be able to enjoy something I do. And preparing tea… I just feel like that is my way of having someone enjoy what I do, what I make."

The brunette had to think about that statement for a bit before replying. "I think I understand; my mom is really good at both baking and cooking and she always insisted I try my best too. She said it'd be a shame to let my talent go to waste as people should be allowed to enjoy what I can make since no one can be good at everything. 'No dinner is complete if even one of the courses is missing.' Is what she'd always say to me."

Fate smiled. "In that case, let me finish preparing the tea so we can enjoy those scones you made to the fullest."

As if on cue the teapot started whistling to signify the water boiling.

"Hey, if you don't mind me asking: why don't you use an electric water cooker, wouldn't that be quicker?" The brunette asked curiously.

Fate smiled a smile that made clear she didn't mind Nanoha asking any questions. "It probably would, but there's something about do is the old-fashioned way isn't there?"

Nanoha couldn't help but snicker and point at the stove. "You call _that_ old-fashioned?"

She was met with a chuckle in response. "Okay then, _somewhat_ old-fashioned. Happy now?" Fate shot her a mock glare as she took the teapot from the stove and turned the stove off.

"Very happy!" Nanoha said, sticking out her tongue.

**{]****-~*****(X)*****~-****[}**

A few minutes later Fate and Nanoha found themselves sitting at one of the teahouse tables. Both with a scone and a cup of what Fate described as a 'hearty' black tea in front of them. Fate had opened the curtains and the rays of early spring sun made their way inside, allowing for a comfortable warmth to spread throughout the teahouse.

"Well then, time to see if that confidence of yours is warranted." Fate said with a wide smile as she picked up the scone in front of her.

Nanoha gulped subconsciously as the blonde brought the single-serving cake to her mouth in –in the brunette's experience– slow-motion. She saw Fate's teeth sink into the scone before her lips curled around it. Fate brought the scone back to the saucer on the table and chewed. As she did so her eyes grew wild and she nodded her head approvingly.

"Hmmm! This is really delicious!" Fate spoke before even having swallowed. "Don't worry; your confidence is _definitely_ warranted!"

Nanoha released a sigh she didn't even realize she was holding. "I'm glad you like it." She smiled.

"_Like_ it? I love it!" Fate gushed, unable to get over how tasty she thought the scone was. She proceeded to take a sip of tea before letting out a satisfied sigh. "Seems like I made the right choice; the bitterness of this tea really compliments the sweet taste of the scone."

That reminded Nanoha she should also have a bite and a sip of the scone and tea respectively.

Taking a bite of her scone Nanoha was happy with the result of her hard work the previous evening. She'd done her very best and it had really paid off.

Having swallowed her bite she took a sip of the black tea Fate had made. As soon as the tea passed her lips and flowed over her tongue she couldn't help but agree with what the blonde teahouse proprietress had said about the tea complimenting the scone. She closed her eyes and a small moan escaped her throat.

Her eyes snapped open when she heard a soft giggle from the other side of the table. There she saw Fate with an amused look on her face. She rose an eyebrow, wondering what the blonde found so funny.

"Enjoying it?" Fate asked with a smirk Nanoha could only describe as devious.

The brunette took a moment to let the question sink in. When realization hit her she couldn't help but blush. "Uh, I, it's just… yes?"

"Is that a question or a statement?" Fate asked, amusement still clear on her face.

Nanoha shot Fate a glare before answering. "Statement; the tea and the scone go really well together."

Fate chuckled. "They sure do." A short pause. "This was originally the idea. I would make the tea and Alicia would bake things to go along with it. I suppose scones would've been on the menu too."

"I could always help you." The words had left Nanoha's mouth before she'd even given them proper thought. She just saw the melancholic look on the blonde woman's face and could only think that she wanted there to be a happy smile adorning that beautiful face instead.

Fate nearly choked in the tea from which she'd just taken a sip and stared at the brunette sitting opposite her with wide eyes, breathing heavily from the tea going down the wrong path.

An uncomfortable atmosphere washed over the two women when a soft 'ding-dong' caused the both of them to look at the clock behind the counter.

"Half past nine, time for me to uh… open up I guess." Fate stood up awkwardly and Nanoha followed suit.

"Yeah, I should get going too. I've promised to help Mom today so…" the brunette left the sentence hanging there before briskly walking to the door while putting her coat back on.

"Uh, hey!" Nanoha turned around in the open doorway at the sound of the blonde's voice. "Um, come again soon?"

"Of course. Uh, I'll see you later." Nanoha managed to smile, though she was clearly still a bit uncomfortable. She did really want to visit again soon though.

"Yeah, later." Fate gave a small wave as Nanoha left the teahouse and walked away. She followed the brunette with her eyes through the teahouse's large windows until she disappeared from view somewhere down the street.

**{]****-~*****(X)*****~-****[}**

Once Nanoha had disappeared Fate turned around towards the table she and the brunette had sat on only a moment ago.

"_I could always help you."_ The brunette's words echoed in her head. While she could've easily been making a joke, there was something about that statement that made it clear she had been completely serious. And even then, the brunette's own reaction was clear enough; she really seemed to have been genuine in her offer.

Fate sighed as she started clearing the table. Both cups of tea as well as both scones had only been half-finished. Setting everything down in the kitchen Fate couldn't help but take another bite of her scone; it truly was delicious.

Another sigh escaped Fate's lips. _Hey Alicia, what should I do? Nanoha seemed completely serious when she suggested to help me with baking. But, should I take her up on that?_

_I don't want to replace you or anything; nobody could ever replace my sister. But I do like Nanoha; she's kind, funny, cute… I wish you were here Alicia. You always knew what to do._

Walking back to the front of the teahouse Fate's eyes fell on the plastic bag Nanoha had brought the scones in. Looking inside she saw there was still a number of scones left. Smiling to herself, Fate decided the first customers of the day would get something nice with their tea.

**{]****-~*****(X)*****~-****[}**

Nanoha's day went by rather quickly; it was a pretty busy day for the Midori-ya, Nanoha's parents' café, which meant she easily kept busy.

After closing time she helped her mother and sister with the cleaning before all of them retired to their house adjacent to the café. Nanoha went to her bedroom and for the first time that day had the time to go over what had happened that morning.

_What was I thinking? I mean, I _wasn't_ thinking obviously. But, what possessed me to pretty much ask her for a job? _Nanoha sighed as she flopped down on her bed and stared at the ceiling. _If she would hire me, then I could be with her the entire day._

Nanoha violently shook her head. _That's not your first and foremost concern right now Nanoha! _She mentally berated herself. Another sigh escaped her. _Would Mom and Dad let me work elsewhere though? None of us ever mentioned working somewhere besides the family dojo and café._

_I love baking, that's for sure. I just don't know if I'd follow in Mom's footsteps baking for the Midori-ya._

The young brunette's thoughts went back to the blonde teahouse proprietress she'd met two days ago and the look on her face the moment when Nanoha spoke those five words. What was it exactly that she'd seen reflected in those red eyes. Those beautiful pools of burgundy.

_She is really beautiful; tall, kind, soft-spoken, a great figure… Gah! Stop fantasizing!_ Nanoha turned to her stomach and pressed her face into her pillow letting free a frustrated groan.

She pulled her face back out from the pillow and took a deep breath. _If I'm really serious about wanting to help her, I need to be sure I want to do so without ulterior motives. The step after that would be talking to my parents about working somewhere other than the family business. If they say yes, then all that would be left would be to tell Fate I'm serious about working in her teahouse._

A smile spread over Nanoha's features as she conjured up a plan of action. _I just want to see her smile that beautiful smile._

**{]****-~*****(X)*****~-****[}**

It was the middle of the night but a certain Fate Testarossa could not sleep.

She was tossing and turning in her bed. The same bed she'd shared with her sister up until a few years ago. The same bed that still stood in her mother's house. Yes, there was actually a living space above the teahouse but the blonde had not yet moved there; she was scared. Originally, she wanted to completely drop her plans of opening a teahouse after her twin sister's death. It wasn't until a very emotional heart to heart conversation with their mother that she wanted to open the teahouse in Alicia's memory.

Precia wouldn't stand for Fate changing any of the original plans for the teahouse, insisting they'd get the kitchen Alicia had envisioned as well as the living area above the teahouse that the twins would share. At least until one of them found boyfriend (or girlfriend in Fate's case).

But even after the teahouse had been completed and Fate had already started working there, she had yet to move. Fate had felt lonely ever since Alicia left her and now she didn't want to live alone somewhere. She wanted to stay here, in the bed she'd shared with her sister ever since childhood, in the house where Precia still lived.

She was not ready to move on yet, not entirely.

Fate's thoughts drifted to some of the events earlier that day.

She'd given the scones Nanoha had given her to the first few customers of the day as complementary gifts. She'd studied their faces when they ate said sweets with their tea and she could see they'd greatly enjoyed them.

Seeing her customers' happy faces made her realize that that was exactly what she'd envisioned back when she still made plans to open a teahouse together with Alicia: happy people enjoying themselves, eating some form of pastry with a nice cup of tea.

Watch people enjoying the combined effort of her and her sister. That was the ultimate goal back then and today she'd gotten a glimpse of what it would've been like if everything had gone according to plan.

The warm and fluffy feeling it had given her was even better than she had anticipated.

Which left her with another question: _How serious was Nanoha when she offered her help? She told me she already has a job in her parents' café and I would understand if she'd rather keep working there._

Fate turned around again and was now facing her sister's old side of the bed. She smiled. _I've seen what it'd be like if our dream had come true Alicia. And it was wonderful. I really want our dream to come true. Or at least as close as possible. If Nanoha can truly help with that, would you like that too?_

A single tear ran across Fate's cheek before it got soaked up by her pillow.

_If Nanoha was serious about helping, then I will let her. She's not you Alicia, nor will she ever be able to replace you as my sister. But with her, our dream can come true. With her skills, I can make our dream come true, for the both of us._

The brightly blushing face of a certain brunette with lop-sided ponytail sprang to the forefront of Fate's mind. _She's so cute. You would've liked her Alicia. I'm sure of it._

A smile graced Fate's features as she thought about what would've happened if Alicia and Nanoha would've met; Alicia, most probably, would've tried coupling her with Nanoha, just like Precia had done. Ever since Fate had come out about her sexuality, Alicia and Precia had been relentless in trying to set her up with nearly every pretty girl they came across.

_Yeah, you would have definitely liked her._

_And I think… I like her too, very much._

* * *

***~-{ End of Chapter }-~***

* * *

Please leave me a review telling me what you think; I love getting feedback and I don't mind people being critical. In fact, I welcome it!

***~-{ ****May we meet again, fare thee well!**** }-~***


	3. Tea and Sweets

_**Disclaimer:  
**_I do not claim ownership of the Mahou Shoujo Lyrical Nanoha series or franchise. This is a non-profit fan-written story written exclusively for entertainment purposes.

**{]****-~*****(X)*****~-****[}**

_Shortly after I'd formulated a plan of action I had gathered the courage to speak to my parents. I found them in the living room watching television together. I told them I wanted to ask them something and Mom almost immediately muted the TV. I nearly broke down under their inquisitive gazes but in the end I asked them how they'd feel about it if I used my baking skills not for the benefit of the Midori-ya but for the benefit of a different place._

_This question of course sparked quite a few questions from my parents' side. In the end I told them pretty much everything. About my first visit to the Alicia 'T'-House, meeting with Fate and her mother and even about Fate's deceased twin sister Alicia._

_Mom asked me if Fate was the one I'd made those scones for, which I confirmed and followed up with telling them about my meeting with Fate that morning. Pretty much the only thing I left out was my offering of my baking services to Fate._

"_You really like this 'Fate' girl don't you?" Mom asked me._

"_I do." I answered. _More than you know.

_Mom and Dad looked at each other for a moment. It was almost like they were communicating with just their eyes. They smiled at each other and turned back to me._

"_We just want you to be happy dear," Mom said, "and if you think working with this Fate Testarossa will make you happy, then we will not stop you."_

* * *

***~-{ Tea and Sweets }-~*  
*~-{ Written by Zarosguth }-~***  
***~-{ ****Chapter #3: Tea and Sweets**** }-~***

* * *

It was early morning when Fate was on her way to the Alicia 'T'-House. Once the teahouse came into view Fate saw something she hadn't dared hope she'd see that day.

She saw the familiar auburn ponytail on the left side of the head of the woman that'd been dominating her world for the past two days.

Her heart skipped a beat.

Trying not to get her hopes up too much; there was no guarantee this would be a happy visit. For all Fate knew, the brunette could've come here to tell her she had no intention of actually working for her and that she wanted to make that clear as quick as possible.

**{]****-~*****(X)*****~-****[}**

The clicking of heels caught Nanoha's attention and she was soon face to face with the golden blonde she couldn't stop thinking about for the past two days.

"Hey, good morning." She greeted a bit too meekly to her liking.

"Good morning Nanoha." The blonde greeted back. "What're you doing here?"

Nanoha panicked; was she not welcome here? She did say some weird things last time. Maybe Fate thought she was a freak now. Then she remembered the blonde had asked her to come over again sometime so obviously it was okay.

"Um, about yesterday…" Nanoha started.

"It's okay. I understand." Fate cut in, "You already have a job. At your parents' café no less so-"

"No!"

Nanoha's yell startled the blonde as well Nanoha herself.

"No, that's not what I'm trying to say." Nanoha continued at a more reasonable volume. "What I'm trying to say is that… my offer, to help you? It's still on the table. That is, if you'd want me." Nanoha started fidgeting as she stared at the pavement. She could now only hope Fate would actually be willing to hire her.

It stayed quiet. After what Nanoha felt was too long she started walking. It was clear to her that Fate had no intention of hiring her and was probably trying to look for a polite way of saying no.

Nanoha walked past Fate without making eye contact. Tears were threatening to spill from her eyes and she didn't want the blonde to see. A hand on her shoulder stopped her.

"You know," the soft, gentle voice of a certain red-eyed blonde caused Nanoha to look up.

Violet met red.

"I let some customers try those scones you made. And they loved them. And when I saw their faces, enjoying those scones and the tea and…" Fate's voice cracked so she took a deep breath to steady herself. "I realized that was my goal. To see people enjoy some tea and sweets and… what I'm trying to say is that if you want a job- I already received a taste of what you can do so, if you want to, you're hired."

It was silent for a moment, red and violet were locked on to each other unrelentingly.

"Thank you!" Nanoha broke the silence and all but assaulted Fate as she flung her arms around the blonde. "I won't let you down!"

Fate gently wrapped her arms around Nanoha, answering the auburn-haired woman's hug with her own. "I have no doubt about that. Welcome aboard, Nanoha."

**{]****-~*****(X)*****~-****[}**

After the initial shock of actually getting hired, Nanoha's brain went into overdrive as Fate led her into the teahouse. As it turned out, Nanoha would have a lot of shopping to do, not to mention ask her mom about suppliers as the only ingredients available at the Alicia 'T'-House were tea ingredients.

Fate assured Nanoha she could take it easy; she didn't have to start that day. Before anything else, Fate wanted to give Nanoha the full tour of the teahouse, going through where everything was in the kitchen. Fate also wanted Nanoha to take her time and observe what a day at the teahouse was like, get a feel for the type of customers that visited and so on. While aware that the brunette was a frequent help in her parents' café, she figured there was no harm in just having Nanoha observe for a day.

Nanoha, on her part, agreed to observe for a day. And she had no regrets in doing so; she observed the way Fate acted around customers and seemed to be able to get along with pretty much everyone which only made her admire the blonde that much more.

During the quiet moments when there were no customers Fate and Nanoha sat down for some tea themselves and discussing the ideas Nanoha had for the menu. Together they tried to think of which flavours of tea would go best with which flavours of sweets.

When closing time came around Nanoha helped Fate clean up. The two of them were engaged in idle chatter when they heard the bell at the front door chime. Turning towards the door they saw something that surprised the both of them.

"Mother!" Fate.

"Mom?" Nanoha.

In had walked both Precia Testarossa and Momoko Takamachi.

"Hello dear," Precia greeted her daughter.

"Hello honey," Momoko said as she walked up to her daughter to give her a hug. "What a small world."

"Uh…" Nanoha was flabbergasted; her mom knew Fate's mother?

"So, it's your daughter that I met a few days ago." Precia said with an amused smile, noting the confusion on the younger Takamachi's face.

"You know Fate's mom?" Nanoha finally managed to ask the question that had been burning on her lips.

"That's right." Momoko confirmed.

"So when I talked to you yesterday evening-"

"Yes, it didn't take me long to figure out one of my childhood friends was involved." Momoko smiled before sharing a look with Precia.

"She came by the hospital today," Precia started explaining now, "she wanted to confirm that Fate is, indeed, my daughter."

Momoko let go of her daughter and went to stand besides Precia. She looked at Fate and spoke. "Your mother has assured me you'd take good of my daughter."

Fate nodded. "Yes Ma'am."

Momoko chuckled softly. "There's no need for that dear; you're my friend's daughter. Just call me Momoko."

A comfortable silence set in and the two older women couldn't help but notice their daughters' hands grabbing for each other and holding on. The two mothers looked at each other and laughed.

The two daughters shot each other questioning glances, wondering what their mothers found so funny.

"Well, it seems the two of you are handling things here perfectly." Precia broke the silence with a knowing smile. "Fate, dear, about tonight, will you sleep at home or will you stay here?"

"Stay here?" Nanoha asked curiously. "You live here Fate?"

"Well uh," Fate was caught off guard by her mother's sudden question; she never really commented on the fact that Fate had yet to move out and as far as Fate was concerned, that would have yet to change.

"You mean she hasn't shown you the living quarters upstairs yet?" Precia cut in raising an eyebrow.

"Oh, I'd love to have a look." Momoko chimed in happily.

**{]****-~*****(X)*****~-****[}**

Neither Nanoha nor Fate had any idea how it all happened but somehow their mothers had set them up to where Nanoha would be staying the night over with Fate at the living quarters above the teahouse.

It all started with Precia and Fate, but mostly Precia, showing Nanoha and Momoko around the upstairs of the teahouse. The two brunettes had commented on how nice it all looked which somehow led to Precia asking if Nanoha would like to stay over with Fate which, in turn, led to Momoko being all for it, offering to bring over some clean clothes for her daughter.

Both mothers kept going on about something to do with getting Nanoha and Fate to know each other better to ensure a healthy work relationship.

Fate just was glad she already had some clothes over at the teahouse; she didn't really feel like explaining that she, despite having such a nice living space, was still sleeping at her mother's house.

Momoko and Precia had already left and Nanoha and Fate were standing in Fate's living room. Both girls felt a bit awkward to say the least.

"Uh, make yourself at home." Fate offered, motioning for the couch.

Nanoha nodded and carefully sat down, Fate sat down next to her and again they were wrapped in awkward silence.

All of a sudden Nanoha began to giggle. After a few seconds Fate followed suit. Giggling turned into chuckling and chuckling eventually turned into all-out laughter.

"Wow, our mothers are awkward aren't they?" Fate said in-between laughs.

"Tell me about it!" Nanoha answered, wiping a tear from her eye.

Once the laughter had died down Nanoha spoke up again, "But, I am kind of glad they set us up."

Shock graced the blonde's features for a second before being replaced by a gentle smile. "Me too." Fate's response was so soft Nanoha almost missed it.

The two young women looked each other in the eyes. Violet staring into burgundy, burgundy staring into violet. Fate slowly moved closer to Nanoha, their eyes never looking away from the other's.

Fate halted, mere centimetres away from Nanoha's face. Nanoha's eyes broke contact with Fate's, and instead focused on the blonde's beautiful pink lips. She wanted to feel those lips on her own.

She _needed_ to feel those lips on her own.

Nanoha leaned forward, meeting the Fate the rest of the way. She pressed her own lips on the blonde's. The kiss was short and left both girls wanting more.

Fate brought her hands up and cupped Nanoha's cheeks. The second kiss was hungry and passionate. Fate licked Nanoha's lower lip, asking permission. Nanoha parted her lips, granting access.

Nanoha brought her hands in Fate's golden tresses and was pleasantly surprised to find that those blonde hairs were even softer and smoother than she had expected.

Tongues met each other, tasted each other and did not stop until the need for oxygen became too much and the two young women finally broke the kiss.

Violet and burgundy met again and tried to find a sense of shock, anger or uncertainty. But all they found was love, and lust.

Lips clashed again, Fate pushed Nanoha down on the couch and started trailing wet kisses along Nanoha's neck. Nanoha shivered in response and used her hands to pull Fate closer and closer, pressing their bodies into each other.

Fate worked back up again, kissing Nanoha across her jaw-line before going back to the brunette's lips where more heated kisses were exchanged between the blonde and the brunette.

Plenty of passionate kisses later, the two found themselves on the couch resting.

Fate was on her back on the couch while Nanoha lay on top of her, resting her head on the blonde's chest. Fate was absentmindedly stroking a hand through that soft auburn hair that belonged to the woman she fell in love with barely three days ago.

"I hope this doesn't affect your work performance." Fate spoke softly.

"I think this will only help motivate me to perform to the best of my abilities." Nanoha quipped back.

Fate couldn't help but laugh. "I'm sure it would."

"I love you, Fate. I love you very much. Since the moment I first saw you I knew. Maybe it was only subconsciously, but I fell in love with you on first sight." Nanoha whispered huskily.

"I love you too, Nanoha; you were the first person besides my mother I felt comfortable with talking about Alicia. You're special Nanoha. From the moment I first saw you stepping into my life, I knew you were special." Fate whispered back.

Nanoha saw tears building in the blonde's burgundy eyes. But she knew these weren't tears of sadness, but of happiness. Nanoha tightened the hold she had on Fate.

Nanoha smiled, "I suppose we should thank our moms for setting us up."

That got Fate to break out in uncontrollable laughter as it reminded her that Precia had tried that the first day she met Nanoha.

Calming down she resumed stroking her hand through Nanoha's hair.

"I suppose we should."

* * *

***~-{ End of Chapter }-~***

* * *

_**Afterword:  
**_Thank you for sticking with this story until the end, I hope you've found it to have been worth your time and I hope you will also go and enjoy the extras that make up 'chapter 4'.

I thought listening to some Smooth Jazz would be the best way to go about working on a story like this. In the end I almost only listened to Power Metal instead. Heh, watch me write an action oriented story one day while only listening to some relaxing jazz. Ah whatever, doesn't matter what I listen to as long as things work out in the end right?

Again, a big thank you to everyone who read this story, followed this story, added this story to their favourites and an extra big thanks to everyone who left a review; you're all awesome and it's thanks to you all that I am able to enjoy writing as much as I do.

With that, let me leave you with my usual request and salute:

Please leave me a review telling me what you think; I love getting feedback and I don't mind people being critical. In fact, I welcome it!

***~-{ ****May we meet again, fare thee well!**** }-~***


	4. Omake

_**Disclaimer:  
**_I do not claim ownership of the Mahou Shoujo Lyrical Nanoha series or franchise. This is a non-profit fan-written story written exclusively for entertainment purposes.

* * *

***~-{ Tea and Sweets }-~*  
*~-{ Written by Zarosguth }-~***  
***~-{ ****Chapter #4: Omake**** }-~***

* * *

***~-{ Omake #1: Teaching Fate }-~***

* * *

"C'mon Fate, all you have to do is press that button." Nanoha sighed in exasperation as she shook her head. She'd been trying to get Fate to help her with the baking to prove that the blonde was _not_ a walking kitchen disaster. "I've already done everything else so just turn that damn oven on!"

"Nanoha, I set fire to _water_! Who knows what will happen if I turn the oven on!" Fate yelled back.

Nanoha cast Fate a look that made it clear she was not going to budge. The blonde _was_ going to press that button; that was a non-negotiable, sure as hell fact.

Seeing the look in her girlfriend's eyes Fate knew she had no choice. "Fine…" she breathed.

Taking a deep breath to steady her nerves, Fate's finger inched closer and closer to the oven. A mere centimetre from the button her finger halted.

Noticing this, Nanoha pinched the bridge of her nose in annoyance. How could this woman carry herself with so much confidence at pretty much any other occasion but get nervous about turning an oven on in fear that it would magically explode or something, just because it was her that pressed the button?

The brunette forcibly grabbed her girlfriend's wrist and pushed her hand forwards, making Fate's finger press the button down.

Fate instantly took a sharp breath, closed her eyes and braced herself. Nanoha just rolled her eyes.

After a few moments of silence Nanoha wrapped her arms around her favourite blonde and gave her a quick kiss behind her ear.

Carefully Fate cracked an eye open and took stock of the situation:

Neither of them was hurt.

The oven was humming as it was on.

No fire-alarm or any other loud sounds.

Everything seemed to be okay.

One can never be sure enough though.

"Nanoha?" The name left her lips in a whisper.

"Yes Fate?" Came the soft reply.

"Are we dead?"

Fate felt Nanoha's breath in her neck as the brunette sighed and supressed a chuckle.

"No Fate, we're not dead."

"You sure?"

Another sigh. "Yes, I am at least 99.9% sure."

"So you could be wrong?"

"Do you _want_ to die? Because I am _this_ close to murdering you…" the brunette mock threatened, trying to suppress a grin and failing miserably.

At that Fate turned around in Nanoha's arms. Their eyes met and Nanoha felt the frown that had formed on her face fade away as she stared into the blonde's red puppy dog eyes.

"I'm sorry Nanoha~!" Fate exclaimed as she wrapped her arms around the brunette in a bone-crushing hug. "Please don't be angry at me!"

Nanoha felt the smile that was tugging at her lips. Despite her calm and confident demeanour, the blonde could be very unsure of herself. A sight only Nanoha was ever allowed to see.

"It's fine Fate, I'm not angry." She whispered softly, rubbing soothing circles on her girlfriend's back.

In their embrace the two of them had entered their own world. Being this close to each other, nothing else in the world seemed to exist. Just the person they were holding and the warmth of their bodies. Suddenly Nanoha smelled a distinct burning smell.

"The oven!"

* * *

***~-{ Omake #2: Meeting Daddy }-~***

* * *

"Come on dear, I'm sure Nanoha would love for us to come over." Momoko spoke to her husband, Shiro Takamachi.

Shiro was not too happy when he heard Nanoha had gotten a girlfriend. Well, it was not the fact his daughter had gotten a girlfriend, but more the fact that he had yet to meet his daughter's girlfriend. Being the stubborn man he was this had caused him to postpone actually meeting the woman his daughter had fallen for.

"We both know the only reason you've yet to meet Fate is because you keep making excuses so just swallow your pride for a moment and let's go visit the teahouse." Momoko pleaded.

"She could at least have introduced the two of us before tying the knot!" Shiro huffed with his arms crossed.

"Now you're just being childish. And besides, it's not like they've gotten married without your consent." Momoko wrapped her arms around Shiro and moved her head close to his ear. "If you behave, I might reward you tonight…"

Shiro's face reddened when certain images of his wife flashed before his eyes.

"Alright, alright. Sheesh, you always know how to persuade me, don't you Momoko?"

"Let's just say I know what you like." Momoko whispered huskily in her husband's ear, sending shivers down his spine.

**{]****-~*****(X)*****~-****[}**

It was quiet at the Alicia 'T'-House. The only customers currently there were a single businesswoman with a laptop and a tablet in front of her and an elderly couple.

Fate had just given the businesswoman her tea when the chime of the bell at the door sounded. She turned to see who had arrived and was pleasantly surprised to see Momoko Takamachi had entered her teahouse, accompanied by a man she assumed was Nanoha's father.

The blonde quickly made her way over to her girlfriend's parents.

"Momoko, so nice to see you." Fate greeted the older Takamachi woman happily before turning to the man she'd assumed to be Nanoha's father. "And you must be Mr Takamachi. It's so nice to finally meet you." She greeted the Takamachi patriarch with a bow.

Shiro was slightly taken aback by the blonde woman's politeness. The fact he'd not met the young teahouse proprietress had caused him to paint a less than favourable image of her.

His wife's elbow hitting his ribs caused him to return to reality as the polite blonde in front of him was still awaiting an answer.

"Y-yes, Shiro Takamachi, Nanoha's father. Miss Testarossa correct?" He put up his standard mask he'd used whenever one of his children introduced him to one of their friends; Shiro was nothing if not protective of his children.

Fate seemed undeterred by her girlfriend's father's nearly threatening aura though and politely showed him and his wife to their table.

"Please choose anything you like. It's on the house." Fate said as she handed the couple a pair of menus.

"Oh no dear," Momoko tried to wave off the blonde's offer. "We can't accept that."

"Oh but I insist." Fate responded, leaving no room for objections as her attention was called to another table housing the elderly couple. "Oh, I'll be right back."

"She's nice isn't she?" Momoko asked her husband carefully.

Shiro huffed.

"Oh stop being so stubborn!" Momoko gave Shiro a light tap on the shoulder. "Admit it, you approve of her."

"I'm not approving of anyone yet." Shiro spoke in his 'over-protective father'-voice.

**{]****-~*****(X)*****~-****[}**

A few minutes after Fate had returned to the Takamachis' table and had taken their orders she brought said orders to their table. She had also made two extra cups of tea and sat down opposite her girlfriend's parents.

She'd just sat down when the kitchen door behind the counter swung open and revealed the youngest Takamachi. Nanoha walked over to the table her parents and girlfriend were sitting at and sat down next to Fate.

"Hi honey." Momoko greeted her daughter.

"Hey Mom, hey Dad." Nanoha greeted her parents.

Shiro gave his daughter a nod, picked up his teacup and started stirring it with his spoon.

"Miss Testarossa," he started.

"Please, Fate is fine." Fate cut in. Nanoha had made it clear her father liked people with guts, so Fate tried to show her brave side by interrupting the Takamachi patriarch.

"Miss Fate," Shiro amended, a ghost of a smile gracing his lips. He hated to admit it, but he respected the blonde for daring to interrupt him.

Shiro took a quick sip of his tea, going over the exact way he wanted to phrase his questions regarding the blonde's intentions with his youngest.

Shiro's eyes opened wide at the taste of the tea. He placed the cup down on the saucer with an audible clank while also maintaining a firm grip on it.

"Please take good care of my daughter." He said before bringing the cup back to his mouth and greedily drinking the rest of his tea.

The three women at the table just stared at him. The younger two with expressions of disbelief, the older one with an expression of amusement.

_A man's love goes through his stomach._ Momoko thought to herself with a chuckle.

* * *

***~-{ Omake #3: A New Generation of Love }-~***

* * *

_Five years later…_

"C'mon Einhart!" A teenage girl with dirty blonde hair and heterochromic eyes, one red and one green, called to her friend.

"Calm down Vivio. Is this the place Corona told you about?" her friend, a teenage girl roughly one year older with mint green hair and also with heterochromic eyes, in her case one blue and the other purple, called back as the two of them walked up to a cosy-looking teahouse.

"The Alicia 'T'-House huh?" Einhart asked as she cast a casual glance inside through the big floor-to-ceiling windows. The teahouse was devoid of any customers, which wasn't surprising since it was already pretty late in the afternoon. The teahouse was only open until five.

"Yeah, according to Corona they have some of the best tea ever here. Not to mention their pastries and stuff." Vivio spoke enthusiastically, all but shoving Einhart through the door.

"Welcome!" they were greeted by a soft and gentle voice and the silvery chime of the bell that hung above the door.

Vivio walked up to the counter where a tall blonde woman stood smiling. "Hi, me and my friend here heard about this place from a friend of ours and well uh, we were curious."

"Oh, is that so?" The blonde asked with a gentle smile, a certain spark present in her burgundy eyes. "Well, I hope we will be able to live up to your expectations."

Einhart couldn't help but look around and notice the blonde woman being the only one apparently present. "We?"

"Well someone has to make our famous teacakes right?" The blonde answered with a chuckle. As if on cue, a woman, slightly shorter than the blonde and with auburn hair walked in.

"Hey Fate, it's getting la- Oh, some last minute customers?" the woman that'd just walked in said as her eyes fell on the two teenagers.

"Oh, if it's too late we can come back some other time." Einhart spoke apologetically.

"Oh no, no, no." The blonde shook her head. "I cannot in good conscience let you girls leave without at least having a cup of tea. Please, don't worry about the time." She gave a friendly smile and handed Vivio a menu.

Einhart walked over and glanced at the menu over Vivio's shoulder. The two teenagers ordered; a sweet strawberry tea for Vivio and a cup of peppermint tea for Einhart.

While the two young girls sat down at a table the blonde woman behind the counter started preparing their tea while the brunette slipped back through the door she'd come from.

A short few minutes later the tea was set on the table and to Einhart and Vivio's surprise the brunette walked back in, carrying two additional saucers with small teacakes on them.

"On the house." She insisted with a smile.

Not wanting to be rude, not to mention really liking how those teacakes looked, Vivio and Einhart graciously accepted the baked goods.

Vivio and Einhart were both in silent awe at the taste of both their tea and the teacakes.

"Delicious!" Vivio all but yelled as she took a second big bite of the teacake, followed by a big gulp of tea.

Einhart was a bit more modest in her enthusiasm but she also couldn't refrain from letting her praise be heard, "This is really, really good."

"Glad you like it. Now take your time and enjoy." The blonde woman smiled.

**{]****-~*****(X)*****~-****[}**

After having finished their tea and teacakes the two teenagers paid (they also tried to pay for the teacakes but at the brunette's insistence they ended up only paying for the tea) and went on their way. They'd stayed far longer at the teahouse than they had originally intended and it was already nearing six o' clock.

The two of them walked through the streets as streetlamps just started coming on. They were holding hands and smiling while a comfortable silence had washed over them.

After a few minutes of walking Vivio broke the silence. "Hey, you noticed too right?"

Einhart waited a second to see if Vivio would elaborate, but she didn't so Einhart took an educated guess. "You mean those two women at the teahouse?"

"Yeah. I think they are in a romantic relationship." Vivio said bluntly.

"What makes you think that?" Einhart asked, sounding as neutral as possible; she had no idea how Vivio thought about such things; two people of the same gender, together in a romantic relationship.

"They just radiated love. The way that blonde woman's face lit up when the other woman came in from the kitchen…" Vivio trailed off and it was silent again for a moment.

"I think it's nice. Finding the love of your life I mean. The two of them looked like they've been together forever." Vivio mused.

Einhart chanced a glance at her friend whom she found to be staring up at the sky, seemingly deep in thought.

The mint-haired girl squeezed the blonde girl's hand. "I think it's nice too."

A smile graced the blonde girl's lips as she turned her head to face Einhart. "I wouldn't mind being together with you… like that." She said as her face slowly reddened.

Einhart felt her own face heat up at her friend's bold declaration before she smiled as well.

"Me neither."

* * *

***~-{ The End }-~***

* * *

_**True Afterword:  
**_And this is the real true end.

I would like to extend special thanks to FateKitty for inspiring me to give you all a bit more of 'Tea and Sweets'.

Multiple people felt the story itself was a bit on the short side and I wholeheartedly agree. Hence, Omake time!

In case you were wondering, chapter three has remained untouched except for the fact I cut the old epilogue off and placed it at the end here as the final omake.

Regarding Momoko's comment in Omake #2: I know gay marriage is not legal in Japan but I can dream the world is a better place can't I?

Didn't listen to Power Metal for this chapter. I was actually listening to a bunch of music by I Monster. Great stuff I have to say.

Thank you all once again for sticking with me through all of this; I appreciate your continued support. Without all of you, I probably would've stopped writing ages ago. Thank you.

Please leave me a review telling me what you think; I love getting feedback and I don't mind people being critical. In fact, I welcome it!

***~-{****May we meet again, fare thee well!****}-~***


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